Bands that stayed successful while replacing lead singers

What is the criteria for success? Anthrax, Armored Saint, Sepultura weren't exactly "popular." So, it would be hard to determine real success.

AC/DC, Van Halen and Journey are all good examples.

Jefferson Airplane
The Dixie Chicks - Natalie Maines was not their original lead singer

There just aren't that many. Singers almost always define the sound of a band.

 

Nah, Stone Gossard and Jeff Ament were in a band called MotherLovebone, with Andy Wood, who died of a drug overdose. They later went on to form Pearl Jam (originally named Mookie Blaylock) with Eddie Vedder.

 

"Stardog Champion", I believe, is the only album in print by Mother Love Bone and it is a great album as it is a mixture of glam rock and grunge. "Ten", Pearl Jam's first album, was named that as homage to Mookie Blaylock (never understood why those guys loved him so much).

"Temple of the Dog" by Temple of the Dog was a one-time only album that contained members of both Pearl Jam and Soundgarden such as Gossard, Ament, Matt Cameron, and of course, Chris Cornell. Vedder also sang on some songs but not on all of them. "Hunger Strike" was probably the most famous song from that album and that album is a classic grunge album.

 

Pearl Jam is the best, as long as we all know.. haha

I Mother Earth are still good after they lost their lead singer

 

I liked Journey up to and including Escape.

You're right, they used to be a jam band. Neil Schon was actually in Carlos Santanas band before forming Journey. Stone in Love, Wheel in the Sky, That's the Same Way You Loved Me (if that's the title), City of the Angels et al. Man, I grew up on that stuff!

mateo beat me to the Genesis/Peter Gabriel point. Abacab was their last good album. After that, they pretty much turned into Phil Collins backup band and started turning out top 40 hits.

 

sweet, i have something to download tonight. i've heard hunger strike a hundred times but i just thought it was some pearl jam song with cornell as a guest. i'm slow.

i guess audioslave should count as well because the only difference from the previous groups is a name change in addition to the singer change. also they're a thousand times better with cornell than the rapping guy whatever his name was. it's probably my favorite album along with the coldplay one of the last 2 years.

 

That guy was Zach De La Rocha, who I always thought sounded like a 13-year boy. He'd scream "Freeeeedoooooom!!!!" and it would sound like whining. They are a lot better since they changed their name (Apparently De La Rocha left because he thought the band's profit-making was countercurrent to his socialist beliefs. It's a rock band, stupid, it's supposed to make money! Guess he didn't get laid enough) and got Chris Cornell.

 

yeah i agree. i can't name a rage song but when they came on the radio i atleast liked the music. i could never get into his voice though so i never bothered to get into their stuff either.

 

Argh, no respect. Rage Against the Machine are a lot better than Audioslave. Well not a lot, but that Audioslave album is so bland.

 

Hey Audioslave rules! Listen to Shadow of the Sun by them and tell me they are bland.

AC/DC replaced lead singers like no one else. Bon Scott was so awesome, but Brian Johnson was just as awesome (but a little different).

 

There's such a huge difference between RaTM and Audioslave it's hard to believe they changed only a lead singer.

Still, I wouldn't go as far as to say Audioslave is better than Rage. Rage had some great rocking out music, and I will be forever sad that I never saw them live.

I heard that was a great show to be a part of.

But I do agree...Audioslave's debut is a solid CD.

 

FNM did more than two albums. After a independent release (called We Care A Lot' IIRC). they released:

Introduce Yourself - 1987
The Real Thing - 1989
Angel Dust - 1992
King For A Day... Fool For a Lifetime - 1995
Album Of The Year - 1997

Mike P was involved from The Real Thing onwards.

 

I wasnt aware of the fact that Patton wasnt FNM's first singer...
Ya learn something new every day..

and Iron Maiden was never really that successful with Paul Dianno.(except in the UK) There were very few of us who even knew who Maiden was before Dianno left.

It was the release of Number of the Beast that brought them widespread success in the States. So I was actually referring more to the falloff in popularity with the departure of Bruce.

 

In '90 I spent close to a month in Seattle over Thanks Giving. I actually was lucky enough to have caught one of thier VERY FEW shows done as "Temple of the Dog" at a club where all those guys in the Seattle scene hung out. The place, I believe, has since closed down, the name of it was Off Ramp Cafe'.

Local bands like PJ, SG, Nirvana many others played there on a regular basis. The bartender mentioned others like STP played there, Blues Traveler, or Ugly Kid Joe and other bands along those lines would play there when passing through.

On some nights members from other bands in the audience will be called up to play with the band and according to the bartender there, Temple of the Dog was a product of those nights.

Aside from having met Stevie Ray Vaughan, that night in Seattle was my personal favorite music experience.


(one last person the bartender told me was there time from to time was Trent Reznor)

 

Mike Patton was in Mr. Bungle when he joined FNM. Look at his t-shirt in the "Epic" video. Mr. Bungle still occasionaly puts out a record. Awesome stuff.

I'm a huge Chris Cornell fan but Audioslave is not a better band then either Soundgarden or Rage Against the Machine. Don't get me wrong, I love the Audioslave CD but it doesn't have the impact the both RATM and SG had.

 

Misfits

REO Speedwagon - They changed leads several times, before success in the 80's.

I hate that I know that........

 

Actually Pink Floyl lost there first lead singer named Syd Barrett. NOBODY thought they would amount to anything after he left, because he was the band.

 

Reminds me of David Gilmour talking about being in the studio recording the song "Wish You Were Here" while Syd was there. The song was basically about him and he happened to show up hanging out at the studio while they were recording it. Of course, he basically lost his mind so he was only there physically. You can't even talk to that guy nowadays...he's just there.

 

I heard that story, Surfguy. Didn't Syd make a solo album afterwards? Is he still alive? From what I understand, no one really knows. Weird.